Beca’s Blog

I’m nearing the end of the first draft of my next book, and the surprise I expected just happened. It always does. Although I plan out the story by knowing the beginning, expected ending (which may or may not happen that way), and the plot points along the way, I let the story unfold. This [...]

If not, why not write another one? “In the beginning was the Word.” John 1:1 Notice that this phrase doesn’t say “words.” Nor does it mention stories. That’s because words and stories belong within our version of creation. Perhaps our version is a realm, a dimension, or a computer game. Who knows? Not me. What [...]

But you can say yes. Waiting for your human brain to want to do something means you’ll probably be waiting forever. Well, maybe not forever, since forever is, well, forever. But definitely, it will be a rare event when you wake up and want to—really want to—clean the house, write a book, or make the [...]

You know how humans think. It’s up, down, back and forth, against something, for something. As humans, we expect to experience everything from tragedy to joy. Do we have a choice? Aren’t we human? Maybe, maybe not. Isn’t human a label for a set of beliefs and paradigms? So what would happen if we didn’t [...]

There’s a last time for everything. Sometimes, but not always, we get to choose when that will be.

While working in my office one morning, I glanced out the window at the solar water fountain in the birdbath and realized I was just like that fountain. Have ever watched one? When the sun is out, it shoots water out into the air a foot high. The water sparkles and shines in the sun [...]

In the 1970s, I lived in Venice, California. Even then, it was a weird and strange place, some of which I loved, and some of which I didn’t. We lived only a block from the beach in a courtyard, which meant all the houses faced a common sidewalk. We knew our neighbors. Some of us [...]

I was ready to record a batch of videos. I always write a bunch of scripts and record all the videos at one time. That way, I only have to do the setup once. After forty-five minutes of setup time, I was ready to begin. But my test video was beyond terrible. The lighting was [...]

And this is why that’s a good thing… For a few years, I had a real live assistant named Stella. I shared her time with a few other people in the office, but it was the first time in my life I could turn over some of my work to someone else with the assumption [...]

I have renewed respect for anyone who has cleaned out a parent’s home. And a renewed determination to try to make it easier for my children when the time comes. Recently, we moved our mom to a personal care room. It’s lovely, she’s happy, but it is the size of a hotel room. She lived [...]

AI, Prayer, and Jolts Who are we but the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, and believe? —Scott Turow AI is the buzzword we hear everywhere these days. But of course, we have been using forms of artificial intelligence for years, from GPS to Fitbits to editing programs. Actually, the list is endless. ChatGPT has [...]

Many years ago, my mentor told me that a bird flying into the sun becomes invisible to its predators. She was reminding me to hide in the light while pursuing freedom, creativity, and enlightenment. Now I get it. And it’s all because I have learned that to have really clean floors, I need to sweep [...]

The radio and then TV show This Is Your Life was designed to show people that they had many people who cared about them, had a bright future, and had made a difference in people’s lives. Intentional or not. But it did something else. It showed how seldom life turns out how we thought it [...]

I know habits and preconceived perceptions can make us blind to the obvious. However, I thought that I usually have a good grip on paying attention. I enjoy exploring ways to be more effective and finding easier ways to do things that need to be done. So it both surprised and dismayed me that I [...]

Sometimes we—thinking we are human—make things so complicated. And really, it’s not. I believe if we could all put into place a few basic principles, then solutions would be found that would unravel all the issues we face. Of course, we’d have to do it together. We’d have to agree. And often, that seems impossible. [...]

Have you spoken to a tree lately? If not, perhaps take a moment and have a chat with one. It doesn’t matter the size or shape. Just find a tree and have a talk. If you hear nothing. Imagine that you do. It opens the door to your inner ear and it will have spoken [...]

We are not designed to live in ruts, but we do. In some ways, this is a good thing. We don’t have to think too hard about how to get through our day. But when our thinking, and therefore our lives, takes place within deep ruts, and we don’t realize it—it’s a dangerous thing. Living [...]

One day, the magnificent multi-trunked tree in our backyard gave us a warning. We came home from our early morning shopping, and one of its massive trunks had fallen. It chose to fall quietly when no one was home so the sound it made would not frighten anyone. It hurt nothing. Not a single branch [...]

One morning, while writing my next book, I looked up and saw a man jogging down our road. Years of teaching dance kicked in, and I said to him—in my thoughts only—”Lead with your pelvis, not your head.” Laughing at myself for still having that habit of correcting movement, I thought back to when I [...]

Feeding a deer may not be a great idea. But who can resist playing peak-a-boo with a deer? Or a stare-down with a deer? Or watching deer casually walking through your yard as if they own it. The truth is. They do. Only humans are delusional about ownership. We have boundary lines marked on our [...]

It’s not what you do. It’s that you do it. “Do you want to see what this looks like after fifty years?” Del and I were at the nursery looking at a tiny orchid hanging on a piece of bark. It was barely there—just a wisp of green. “Yes,” we said without hesitation. We followed [...]

Time doesn’t change us. It just unfolds us. — Max Frisch Even though there is no time, past, present, or future, it’s how we experience life—as an unfolding, a transformation. We can either view transformation as something to fight against or embrace it. And it’s easier, in the long run, to embrace it, to think [...]

When I was in elementary school, I saw the woman who would one day become my dance teacher perform the Red Slippers. At that moment, I fell in love and knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a dancer. But one of my friends told me she taught ballet – she didn’t [...]

…we are not afraid of the dark… Every morning I sweep our hardwood floors, following the path of where we most go each day, and once a week I sweep the entire house. I didn’t use to do that daily sweeping. Then one morning, I noticed what was in the light path that shone across [...]